The money he earned from the gold rush was enough to kickstart a career in butchering with his brother Alexander Jr. They purchased a store in Devonport and sold their products on horse and cart throughout the area, raised livestock and purchased bones that they used to grind down into fertiliser. This lasted for 14 years.
Devonport Steam Company In 1881, Alison and Alexander Jr. founded the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, providing steam ferries and buses for the Devonport area. He and his brother also bought sections of crown land and subdivided them into residential-sized properties which they would then on-sell. This was common practice at the time for influential members of the community and encouraged people to settle in the Devonport area but continue to work in the city. The company faced many challenges through its early years, beating off competition from George Quick and his steam ferries
Eagle and
Osprey in 1887 and 1888, as well as the depressed economic conditions of the late 1880's and early 1890's. But by the 1910's the Devonport Steam Ferry Company controlled all major harbour crossings on the
Waitematā. They faced one final competition in 1910 with the Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company, which sailed from the newly made Bayswater wharf, but the company failed in 1927 and was absorbed by Devonport Steam Ferry Company. The Alison's took the absence of the Takapuna trams as an opportunity to found the North Shore Transport Company that year. They expanded bus services across the North Shore and became the main land transport service in the North Shore as well. The Devonport Ferry Company produced several innovations in the ferry transport industry. They were the first to introduce what would become the standard for Auckland ferries – two-decked and double-ended, with wooden screws. They also introduced the first vehicular ferry, which could transport horses and carts across the harbour. Alison was also involved in many other business ventures. He was involved in all of the aspects of providing coal for his steam-powered ferries, including shipping on the
Kaipara Harbour, and the coal mining itself. He was chairman for the Northern Coal Company as well as the founder and chair for 44 years of
Taupiri Coal Mines Ltd. He was the director for Waikato Carbonisation Ltd and president of the New Zealand Coal Mine Owner's Association. He also chaired several Auckland goldmining companies. As an employer, Alison was anti-union. From 1902, he served on the Auckland Conciliation Board, which worked with local employers and unions to avoid conflicts being taken to the Arbitration Court. He expressed concerns towards the Trades and Labour Councils, and very much opposed the new wave of 'Red'
Federation of Labour movement pre-WWI. He encouraged the Auckland branch of the Employers' Federation to create a nationwide defense fund that could be used in the event of union unrest or a general strike. This became policy in 1912. He supported his fellow employers in defeating the Auckland general labourer's union in their dispute against Auckland City Council in 1912 and in defeating the water-siders' union in 1913, further insisting that any water-siders or seafarers involved in the strike be blacklisted. == Political career ==